The only constant in digital marketing is change, and Facebook is no exception. The social network is rolling out several new features this year that will change the way digital marketers target audiences and optimize campaigns on Facebook.
Standard Campaign Budget Optimization
Starting in September 2019, Facebook will standardize campaign budget optimization for all campaigns. The feature will distribute budget across ad sets to drive the best possible results based on your campaign’s objective. Facebook states it will “automatically and continuously” find the best opportunities for results across ad sets and adjust the budget in real time.
What This Means for Marketers
Facebook controlling budget distribution could lead to an uneven divide of money across ad sets in a campaign, based on their performance. Before the feature becomes a campaign default, marketers should test campaign budget optimization for eligible campaigns to determine whether ad sets need to be broken out into separate campaigns to achieve desired results.
Increased Transparency For Facebook Customer Data Audiences
Facebook is updating its WAIST (Why Am I Seeing This?) tool to improve transparency for users and accountability for advertisers. Previously the tool displayed basic details to users, showing how their demographics, interests, and website visits leads them to see certain ads. The update to the WAIST tool will now show any Custom Audience targeting that may be in place. Not only that, but the names of businesses (including agencies) that uploaded and/or received a shared
What This Means for Marketers
The WAIST update increases the potential for user backlash towards advertisers. While there is no direct impact on targeting capabilities for marketers, users may feel as though their personal information is too “public.” User data privacy has been a significant issue for Facebook, and while this update to WAIST aims to increase transparency, it may leave users feeling more exposed than ever.
“Clear History” Tool Roll Out
Facebook announced it will release a “Clear History” tool, which allows users to clear their browsing history on the platform and see all the apps they interacted with. With this tool, users can disconnect their off-Facebook activity from their profile. However, because this tool simply anonymizes data (instead of deleting it), metrics and analytics will not be affected if someone chooses to clear their history.
What this Means for Marketers
Facebook states that once the tool is live and users are able to disconnect their off-Facebook activity from their profile, the company will no longer be able to use that data for ad targeting. This means that even targeting options powered by Facebook’s business tools (like the Facebook Pixel) cannot be used to reach a user with ads if the user has cleared their history. Audience targeting that will be impacted includes remarketing audiences, audiences built off of website/app visitors, or any other custom audience. Facebook recommends marketers take this change into consideration when planning campaigns for the second half of 2019.
What Facebook’s Updates Means For Marketers
With major transitions in user privacy, transparency, and budget optimization, now is the time to get creative with Facebook targeting and campaign structures. Marketers should prepare for these shifts, but also keep in mind that more changes could be around the corner.
